Ready to spice up your camper cooking? Here are five clever spice rack solutions to keep your go anywhere, cook anything lifestyle full of flavor. All you need is a little thyme.
Like most truck campers, fresh water and grey tank capacity are a premium in our truck camper. For this reason, we often limit our dinner meal cooking to one pot. Think protein, vegetables, and a starch.
To make one-pot meals tolerable, we change up the proteins, vegetables, and starches; chicken or turkey, corn, peas, string beans or spinach, and rice, pasta, or potatoes. From these core ingredients, a lot of variations are possible, but that’s still not enough to make one-pot meals tasty day after day.
That’s where a spice rack and other flavorings come in to kick it up a notch. We have a small but vital selection of spices on tap, and another small but mighty selection of flavorings. Think lemon juice, Thai peanut sauce, and curry. Oh man, do we love curry. It’s a thing in our white house on wheels.
What follows are five readers with spice racks that make our selection look spartan. And how and where they store their spice hordes is at least as interesting. Keep in mind that you can borrow these ideas and keep more than just spices in them racks.
1. Easily Accessible Spice Jar Storage
Submitted by: Kathy Dresbach, 2015 Ram 3500, 2016 Eagle Cap 1165
I wanted a place to put my spices in our Eagle Cap 1165 triple-slide truck camper. I first tried to put them in the cabinet and they slid around. Then, I bought teak storage boxes that are intended for utensils. You can get teak storage boxes at any kitchen supply store.
I used velcro on the shelf and on the bottom of the box. They just sit up there. If I want to take them down, I simply pull them off.
I bought six spice jars at Hobby Lobby for $2. Then I painted the lids black to make the jars less obvious and labeled them. Now the spice jars are easily accessible and never move when we’re driving. They also don’t interfere with the slide room.
It took me one hour to paint the lids and label them. The mod cost under $10. I grow my spices, so I don’t have to pay for those either. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is easy.
2. Handmade Behind the Stove Spice Rack
Submitted by: Don Crafts, 2004 Dodge Ram 3500, 2012 CampLite 8.5
This mod improves the storage and accessibility of spices and other cooking ingredients. I made use of dead counter space behind the stovetop.
This organizer/spice rack was made from pieces of ¾ inch by ¾ inch pine trim (vertical legs) and ¼ inch by 1 ½ inch pine (horizontal parts).
There are no complex joinery, only straight cuts. All joints were glued and clamped and after drying and brads were added for additional strength. A clip was made from found aluminum that secures the center back leg to an existing trim screw.
We have eliminated the shoe box storage method for these items. Everything stays securely in place and we now have some space back in our cupboards.
It took me eight to twelve hours to complete and cost $20. In my opinion, the skill level of this mod is easy.
3. Inside Cabinet Door Spice Rack
Submitted by: Jesse Taylor, 2006 GMC Sierra 2500, 2005 Lance 815
This is a spice rack that I made and installed on the inside of the clothes closet next to the stove. I also installed adjustable wire racks for pantry items like dried food and plates on the bottom shelf. You can also see a clear Plexiglas splatter shield on the left and behind the stove. The stove has a wood grain cover made from leftover laminate flooring.
4. Pine, Birch, and Cedar Spice Rack
Submitted by: Ron Ross, 2017 Ram 3500, 2019 Northern Lite 8-11 EX CDSE
We wanted a permanent place to store our spices so that they were always secure while traveling and readily available for use when cooking. This modification was originally built for our Northstar pop-up. For that camper, the spice rack was straight and approximately three-feet long.
We decided to take it with us when we bought our Northern Lite. I cut it in half and re-glued it on a 90-degree angle to fit in the corner of the kitchen counter.
Three different types of scrap wood were used: pine, birch, and cedar. A mixture of three parts golden pecan to one part red mahogany stain gave each wood its own color. Two coats of semi-gloss urethane finished it off. As luck would have it, the cedar came close to matching the original cabinets.
Now the spices always stay in place when traveling and are always ready to use. The rack is held in place with removable velcro tabs.
It took me approximately three hours to complete this modification and cost me nothing because it was all scrap wood. In my opinion, the skill level of this modification is medium because of the required tools.
5. West Marine Teak Spice Racks
Submitted by: Cindi Goodrich, 2008 Lance 1191, 2006 Chevy Silverado 3500
If you’re like me, cooking while in the camper is not all about a campfire. I bring a fully stocked pantry, recipe books, and lots of pots and pans. But, where do I put them in the limited storage on a truck camper?
For my kitchen remodel, I started with the spice rack. The one provided was woefully inadequate, so I moved it to the wall near the entrance and made it into a remote control holder. I replaced it in the galley with several West Marine teak spice racks. Now, you name it, I have it.
Disclaimer: The modifications above are submitted by Truck Camper Magazine readers. It is your responsibility to make sure that any do-it-yourself modification project you undertake is safe, effective, and legal for your situation.
